Regions and Cities: Sustaining communities

By John Prescott is UK Deputy Prime Minister responsible for policies which promote social inclusion, neighbourhood renewal and regional prosperity. - 10th October 2005

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The regional policy debate is about more than money argues UK Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

After two generations of division, the nations of Eastern and Western Europe are coming together in a new political order and with a new commitment to do things differently.

The recent enlargement of the EU offers huge opportunities, but also presents significant challenges.

To realise these opportunities and to create a prosperous, just and fair society with a good quality of life for all.

We need a strong and sustainable economy.

Our cities are economic powerhouses and centres of innovation, science and culture but also suffer areas of considerable deprivation not recognised in broad definitions of regional policy.

Across all our regions we need sustainable economic growth creating a 21st century knowledge-based economy.

And above all we need to learn from each other’s experience to gain a better understanding of how to implement an integrated, coherent approach across our cities and regions.

In the years to come, we will need a regional policy which is flexible enough to cope with the complexities of an EU of 25 nations with 450 million people with widely different economic, environmental and social circumstances.

A Europe in which the richest region, measured by GDP, is nearly ten times better off than the poorest region.

A Europe in which pockets of deprivation exist in even the most affluent regions.

There has been a lot of debate about the size and shape of the structural and cohesion funds after next year, but I think we can all agree that the main focus of the funds must be on helping less wealthy European partners to improve their economies.

That money must be spent effectively, without undue bureaucracy standing in the way of national and regional governments delivering jobs and growth for all their people.

I know that early agreement on the EU budget is the key to taking this work forward: that’s why the UK presidency will do its best to reach a deal in December.

But this debate is about more than just the money. As individual nation states, we need to use and develop our existing assets and investment more effectively, as well as the skills we need.

We have a lot to learn from each other - what we’ve got right and what we’ve got wrong. We are keen to share our experiences with, and learn from, our European partners.

That doesn’t mean a single blueprint for the whole of the EU, because our cities and regions are highly diverse.

I believe that - like the UK - many member states are striving to create better places for their citizens, through integrated policy approaches.

Quite rightly, these policies respond to their national, regional and local needs.

But I also believe that it is possible to identify some key characteristics of a thriving community which delivers a strong quality of life for its citizens. What I call a sustainable community.

Sustainable communities are places which balance social, economic and environmental concerns through a strong, coherent framework which involves and empowers their citizens.

They have thriving local economies and good transport services - providing jobs, schools, health and other services that are accessible to all.

They have high standards of quality and design, and feel safe, secure, and family friendly, as well.

So how do we build sustainable communities?

I believe it’s essential to integrate a range of strategies and structures - economic, social and civic - which too often operate in isolation from each other.

Encouraging public private partnerships, and ensuring that different public funding streams are pooled together, are also important.

At the European level, there is huge potential in the concept of sustainable communities.

That is why I am inviting EU ministers and representatives from the European institutions to Bristol in December to debate and agree the way forward on a European approach to sustainable communities - the Bristol Accord.

The Bristol Accord will build directly on Rotterdam’s urban acquis, but with a focus on outcomes, sharing of good practice and capacity building.

Creating and maintaining sustainable communities requires new partnerships, and new ways of working.

So, as part of our support for the Bristol Accord, Britain’s new national Academy for Sustainable Communities in Leeds will collaborate with partners across Europe to improve new skills and partnerships between those delivering sustainable communities on the ground.

And we’ll be working with the European Investment Bank to encourage investment in innovative projects that help to deliver sustainable communities.

The principles and practice of sustainable communities provides a flexible but coherent approach to delivering economic growth, social justice and create cleaner, safer, greener communities.

In this way, the Bristol accord for sustainable communities will build on the urban acquis agreed at Rotterdam; and it will act as an important next step in helping member states to deliver jobs and growth, the environment sustainability goals set in Gothenburg, and effective democratic governance,
agreed in Warsaw.

I also want the Bristol Accord to lay a foundation for future progress and cooperation between member states over the coming years.

A shared desire to create and maintain sustainable communities across Europe is and will be a healthy challenge for us all, as well as the best ways to deliver effective outcomes.

Our aim must be to create sustainable communities in which the people of Europe will have a more secure and confident future